Ford Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta is one of the most popular superminis there is. There’s a reason as to why we still see so many generations of them on the road. They’re reliable automobiles, cheap to run and easy to maintain. The Fiesta has been around for generations and the first one was manufactured in 1976. It has been a very visual part of our streetscapes for a long time.
The majority of supermini reviews that we have seen over the years always refer to the Fiesta being “more fun” or “more engaging” than its competitors. For those of you who are looking for more powerful “fun” in the Fiesta line-up you can opt for the brilliant Fiesta ST.

Performance

There are two petrol engines in the Irish range of Ford Fiesta (not including the ST 1.6 litre EcoBoost engine) – a 1.0 litre 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine and a 1.25 litre engine. Most notable of the two is the very efficient 1.0 litre engine. The 1.0 litre engine gives you the feeling that you’re in a larger engined car. On paper it offers 65 PS and burns a reported 99g/km of CO2. Opt for a turbocharged version of that engine and you’ll find that the power output rises to 100/125 PS (depending on the variant that you choose).

In terms of diesel, customer can opt for the 1.5 litre TDCi engine offering 75 PS or the slightly more powerful 1.6 litre engine that offer 95 PS.

The most powerful and most fun option that is available is the Fiesta ST’s 1.6 litre EcoBoost engine that offers 182 PS. This little powerhouse offers 0-100 km/h in just 6.9 seconds and gives maximum torque of 240Nm from between 1,600 and 5,000rpm.

Ride & Handling

All Fiesta’s offer an excellent ride. The steering is extremely accurate, and you always feel like the car is gripping the road tightly. On most surfaces the Fiesta is smooth, and body roll is definitely not an issue when it comes to bends and corners.

Refinement

Historically superminis had a tendency to allow a lot of road noise into the vehicle. Not so with the Fiesta. Yes some of the engines can be a bit loud when put under pressure, but apart from that there is no major issue here.

Quality & Reliability

The infotainment system within the vehicle is dated and quite dull. The layout isn’t great and the system itself can be a bit confusing to navigate. However, we suspect that future Fiesta’s will be benefitting from the latest versions of Ford Sync – which is a much better and easier to use system. SYNC 2 is presented in newer models and it is linked to a very easy-to-use touch screen

Safety & Security

The new Ford Fiesta received five stars in the Euro NCAP test which makes it a safe vehicle for our roads. There are many safety systems available like; MyKey, Active City Stop, Emergency Assistance and SYNC. Ford’s SYNC system has what’s called “Emergency Assistance” that automatically calls emergency services if the airbag is deployed in the vehicle. The system supplies GPS coordinates to emergency services.

Space & Practicality

Getting any more than four adults into this would take a big push and a lot of holding-in of bellies. This doesn’t offer an amazing amount of space, but it’s by no means terrible. It’s perfect for two kids in the rear though.